Nationals acquire outfielder Wooten from A’s

The Washington Nationals today acquired outfielder John Wooten from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for left-handed pitcher Fernando Abad. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

A 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-handed hitter, Wooten spent the 2013 season playing primarily in right field for Single-A Beloit (Midwest League). There, he hit .257 with a .333 on-base percentage and a .430 slugging percentage, clubbing 20 home runs and 22 doubles. In 133 games (495 at-bats), Wooten drove in 69 runs and walked 53 times.

In 2012, his first professional season, Wooten hit .276 with a .316 on-base percentage and 22 extra-base hits in 72 games between the New York Penn League and the Midwest League.

The 22-year-old was selected by Oakland in the 37th round of the 2012 First Year Player Draft out of East Carolina University.

Abad, 27, posted a 3.35 ERA in 39 games for the Nationals in 2013. He signed with the Nationals as a minor-league free agent on Jan. 15, 2013 and was designated for assignment on Nov. 20, 2013.